The Duluth Chamber is proud to present the second annual Women in Leadership Conference—a signature event designed to motivate, inspire, and advance female leaders at any stage in their careers. Rooted in storytelling, empowerment, and connection, this innovative conference will offer attendees the opportunity to hear from trailblazing local women leaders as they tell the story of their personal journeys and the key lessons they learned along the way. Featuring Jebeh Edmunds and Gaelynn Lea as this year’s inspiring keynotes, this signature event will also offer personalized career development workshops, pioneering leadership panels, relevant breakout sessions for any career level, and an engaging after-party and women’s expo highlighting women-owned and female-led organizations. This one-of-a-kind conference is an event that you and your team will not want to miss. All event proceeds benefit the Fuse Duluth young professionals program.
Conference Admission
$299 Regular Admission
$249 Nonprofit Rate
$99 Student Rate
Keynote Speakers
Jebeh Edmunds
Triumph Through Resilience: Embracing Challenges as Stepping Stones to Success
Jebeh Edmunds is the passionate founder and CEO of Jebeh Cultural Consulting Inc., dedicated to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in organizations. She draws from her rich background as an educator and cultural advocate to drive positive change and understanding.
Gaelynn Lea
The Art of Personal Enrichment: Infusing Meaning into Your Every Day
Gaelynn Lea is an American musician and disability advocate known for her soulful violin and singing. Originally from Duluth, Lea tours internationally and promotes disability rights and accessibility in the arts through her advocacy work. She is a sought-after public speaker and has been featured in two widely-viewed TEDx talks and won NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2016.
Who can attend this conference?
The Women in Leadership Conference is founded on inclusion and strives to create a safe space for those who would benefit from this educational offering to gather together to learn, network, and collaborate—Individuals who identify as LGBTQ+, non-binary, transgender, and gender-expansive are welcome and encouraged to attend. Based on planned content, students in attendance should be in their first year of college or beyond to enjoy the full benefits of the conference. Accessible restrooms and a mother’s room will be available at the event. Additional accommodations, such as ASL interpretation and specialty meals, can be made available upon request.
Scholarship Fund
Scholarships will ensure any interested female leader is able to attend the conference without payment being a barrier. If you have someone you would like to sponsor to attend, know someone in need of a sponsorship, or you would like to donate to the sponsorship fund, please reach out to ahagen@duluthchamber.com with details. Sponsorship fund priority will be given to students, small businesses/nonprofits, and members of minority communities.
Complimentary Business Headshot Opportunities
To help establish your personal brand, the Chamber is including a complimentary business headshot session from Lynnette’s Portrait Design as part of your conference registration (a $99 gift). Your session includes photography, time to review images, select favorites and share retouching concerns with a 100% happiness guarantee. Your remaining cost is $119 per retouched file. Schedule your session online. Sessions completed by September 25th will have retouched files prior to the conference to update their social presence.
Conference Hotel Rooms Available
The Holiday Inn & Suites Downtown Duluth, conveniently connected to the DECC via skywalk, is offering a group rate of $149.00 plus tax for Women in Leadership Conference attendees. The room block is available for September 29-October 1. To book, select your dates online or call (218) 722-1202 and ask for the code WMN. Hotel guest parking will be validated. The room block will be available until September 10.
Complimentary Childcare Offer to Conference Attendees
As a special thank you for attending the 2024 Women in Leadership Conference, Duluth Poppins is excited to offer attendees a unique opportunity to experience our babysitting services without the usual agency fee.
Here’s what attendees will receive:
- No Agency Fee on Conference Day: We’re waiving our $35 agency fee for all bookings made on the day of the conference. This offer is valid only on the conference day, as long as sitters are available.
- One Free Babysitting Session: Enjoy one complimentary babysitting session if booked before January 1, 2025. Just provide valid proof of your conference attendance when you sign up.
Please contact info@duluthpoppins.com or call (507) 696-8452 with any questions, and visit www.duluthpoppins.com to book.
Sponsorships Now Available
Showcase your organization and its commitment to female leadership development by sponsoring the Women in Leadership Conference.
Investment levels and benefits include:
$2,500 Trailblazer Sponsor
- Verbal sponsorship recognition during welcome
- Stand-up banner displayed by the stage (provided by your organization)
- Exclusive half-page sponsor feature in the event booklet
- Premier 8-ft booth space at the after party/women’s expo
- Recognition in press release to over 20 local media outlets
- Multiple email event promotions to 3000+ subscribers with clickable logo
- Clickable logo on event registration page
- Logo and company information displayed prominently at the conference
- 5 complimentary event tickets ($1,495 value)
$1,000 Visionary Sponsor
- Verbal sponsorship recognition during welcome
- Logo displayed in event booklet
- 4-ft booth space (high top table and room for banner) at the after party/women’s expo
- Recognition in press release to over 20 local media outlets
- Multiple email event promotions to 3000+ subscribers with clickable logo
- Clickable logo on event registration page
- Logo displayed prominently at the conference
- 2 complimentary event tickets ($598 value)
$600 Professional Development Sponsor
- Logo displayed on all promotional materials and in event booklet
- Recognition in press release to over 20 local media outlets
- Multiple email event promotions to 3000+ subscribers with clickable logo
- Logo displayed on track signage at the conference
- 1 complimentary event ticket ($299 value)
Become a Sponsor
Contact Aubrey Hagen at ahagen@duluthchamber.com to secure your sponsorship and be part of the 2nd annual Women in Leadership Conference.
Empowerment Sponsor
About the Empowerment Sponsor
APi Group Companies of Northern Minnesota – which includes JAMAR, Tenet Solutions, United Piping Inc., LeJeune Steel Company, and Viking Automatic Sprinkler – are proud to be the Empowerment Sponsor of the Duluth Chamber’s Annual Women in Leadership Conference. We believe that one of our core pillars of success is our distinct leadership development culture predicated on Building Great Leaders®, an internally-developed, cross-functional leadership development program designed to enable independent local and regional leadership, cultivate broad management skills, enhance organizational flexibility, and empower the succession of leaders across our businesses. Our culture of investing in leadership development at all levels of the organization has created an empowered, entrepreneurial atmosphere that facilitates organizational sharing of knowledge and best practices and enables the development of cross-brand solutions and innovation.
APi Group and its family of companies are dedicated to enhancing the success of women through our Network of Women Committee. Our mission is to encourage women’s leadership and development in the safety and specialty service industries through engagement, education and mentorship. We are committed to creating a professionally supportive environment where you can build your career through mentorship, training, educational opportunities, networking and hands-on experience.
Trailblazer Sponsors
Scholarship Sponsor
After Party Sponsor
Visionary Sponsors
Professional Development Sponsors
